Summary: In which a certain Demon Witch is not so dead.
Author's Notes:
I am so weak. I just can't stay away from Diana Cavendish. Sigh.
Have a short history lesson, courtesy of this Tomato who is just making stuff up XD
INTERMISSION. Rebirth of a Demon - Prologue
Deep in the Arcturus Forest near the remnants of an attempt to break a grand seal, the soil at the supposed center of the summoning circle breaks apart on its own. A web of cracks spreads across the dry dirt until its tendrils reaches the enclosure of the summoning circle that was once active.
In a different time, magic was celebrated by all across the world. Both magic users and normal humans alike respected and understood the importance of magic. They integrated it with their daily lives, using it as if it was a normal occurrence. And if one couldn't use magic for themselves, it was not uncommon to ask a witch or any other spellcaster to accomplish something with magic. There were no shortage of magic users back then.
Over a thousand years ago, magic was abundant in the world. There was no limit with the Yggdrasil's healthy branches spread throughout the entire planet. This was the main contributing factor to the large number of magic users in the world. Since there was no shortage of magic energy, there was no need to compete for resources and therefore no constraints on the growing population of spellcasters.
However, there were spellcasters of that time who were above all else even amongst the many magic users in the world. These distinguished witches came to be known as the Nine Olde Witches. They were nine of the most powerful and capable witches of that time. Each had their own specializations, each with their own accomplishments and dreams.
Many have heard of Woodward the Pioneer. Arguably the leader of the Nine Old Witches, she was the original wielder of the only wand created from the Yggdrasil's branches: the Claiomh Solias. She never allowed traditions or a rigid mindset to restrain her magic. Rather, she advocated for flexibility so that magic could continue to advance and improve in new ways.
Then there is Beatrix the Affectionate. In an effort to create a community that would help others in need, she founded a family which specialized in healing magic to preserve and continue her research on medicine without bias. The House of Cavendish would persist across centuries to apply their healing under the house motto of affection.
There are of course the other seven of the Nine: Jennifer, Alaya, Medea, Undine, Shakti, Nuwa, and Orisha. Because of their many accomplishments, these nine witches would forever be remembered by history even after they reach the end of their lives. No one who values magic does not know of their names.
However, history only remembers these specific nine. It does not include a certain witch who was actually part of the original Nine Olde Witches. The witch who is now remembered only as the Demon Witch and the Witch of Corruption.
Much like the other Nine, Goetia was an outstanding witch who stood above all others. She rivaled Woodward in diversity, Beatrix in talent, and Alaya in creativity. Goetia's specialization laid in the study of souls and the magic corresponding to this field. It was an understudied category that no one knew about. She was arguably the first researcher to reveal the existence of the soul to begin with.
But unlike her colleagues, Goetia preferred to keep her knowledge a secret. She would never share the entirety of her work; only the bare minimum. She held distrust for the rest of humanity and didn't believe they could understand the complexities of her research and ambitions.
She never grew out of that habit. Not only did she desire more by setting higher and more ambitious goals, she also grew more distant from her colleagues and the rest of the human population. The higher she rose, the more disdain she felt towards the lesser, incapable members of her race. It was one thing for non-magic users to exist. But to Goetia, it was an even larger sin to exist as a witch who barely had the talent and potential to match herself. To Goetia, they were all worthless failures who shouldn't be associated with her.
Her greed and pride led her to seek more power and knowledge. That was the reason why she chose to break away from conformity and summon one of the most dangerous demons from purgatory while forming a contract with the demon to amplify her powers. With this demon, she was then able to take control of the Yggdrasil and use its infinite magic energy for herself. She was unmatched and near invincible.
But not entirely unbeatable. And that was enough for the Nine Olde Witches to defeat her after a long, arduous war. The Nine Olde Witches and the rest of the world did not agree with Goetia's vision to cleanse the world or unworthy witches and magic users. They advocated for giving everyone a chance because not everyone is equal. It would be unfair to deny them in case they could eventually accomplish great things.
Goetia thought that did not matter. In the end, they were all trash to her. If the Nine Olde Witches didn't agree, then that just meant they were also unworthy of their titles. And it was to her utter shame to lose to them in the end. They were able to overpower her together with the help of numerous philosopher's stones to supplement the lack of magic from the Yggdrasil.
Goetia had lost. The Nine Olde Witches locked her up behind a powerful seal and destroyed her body, forcing her to watch the world continue with magic users fumbling in their own way. She stayed in a state of contradiction; alive yet not.
However, her actions had their own consequences. Her contamination of the Yggdrasil nearly withered it to ashes. The Nine Olde Witches had no choice but to seal it as well so that it could rejuvenate with time. Magic began to decline after the Golden Age. Witches were becoming obsolete as well.
That was then; this is now.
Thousands of years later, the Yggdrasil is revived and restored thanks to the efforts of nine young witches. With its branches spread across the world once more, the current spellcasters do not have to worry about a restricted supply of magical energy to use. This means they can practice their magic more freely, thus captivating more and more people. Finally, magic is once more a viable solution that can work in conjunction with modern science and technology. This resurgence of magic ushers in a new era similar to the Golden Age many centuries ago.
However, it is no paradise devoid of problems. The largest consequence of an infinite supply of magic is awakening certain spirits and magical creatures who rely on large amounts of energy to sustain their form and existence. They are usually behind seals, but can break through their bindings with enough energy.
The magic community has done its best to accommodate for the new resurgence of magic. Every seal with the possibility of breaking has been accounted for, as well as doing their best to keep track on any creature susceptible to high magical energy. And those ambitious enough to take advantage of the surplus of magic energy have been subdued to prevent anarchy.
At least, they have done their best.
Everyone makes mistakes. It is only better to minimize error and prevent mistakes from occurring for the most important things. But sometimes it is inevitable to overlook a significant detail.
Almost nine months ago, a certain witch attempted to break the seal binding Goetia to the Arcturus Forest. Thanks to the efforts of two magic users, the ritual was stopped and humanity was saved. In consequence, the ensuing explosion took the lives of both magic users, one of which only revived due to sheer coincidence and luck.
But that was not the only consequence.
Deep within the Arcturus Forest at the epicenter of the old ritual, a certain withered tree pulses with blood red energy. An invisible binding cracks. No human bears witness to this. Though the nearby magical creatures and spirits run far away from that place. Even if they cannot see anything, their instincts tell them to flee from this unknown danger.
An earthquake tears through the forbidden forest. It isn't enough to distort the plates of earth, but it is enough shake the ground and send every living thing within the vicinity into a frenzy.
If anyone was close enough, they would have been able to hear the distinct sound of a female voice, seething with anger and impatience. The disembodied voice crying for the ones who denied her freedom. Even if the Demon Witch does not know their names, her unintelligible fury is enough for the claws of fear to dig deep into anyone's heart.
But even if the seal on her soul is weakened, there is nothing she can do without a body. The most compatible choice is another human. However, there is nothing within the vicinity except for a few stray animals and magical creatures. They will not house her soul long enough for her to find a suitable replacement.
And so Goetia chooses to wait. She will wait until the right moment, for the right witch to come to her, ripe for the taking. But first she must make the proper preparations.
A small, purple bud breaks up into the surface from the center of the crack in the dirt. The large, withered tree nearby seems to arch over it, casting a shadow to provide it nourishment instead of sunlight. Despite being no larger than the size of a young girl's fist, no magical creature dares to upset the newly birthed flower.
Soon. She will exact her revenge. She will cleanse this world of the impurities. She will punish those who have done her wrong.
Starting with the two spellcasters who prevented her from returning to the world as she rightfully should have all along.
Author's Notes:
To everyone who has read the other stories in the "Mending Hearts" series, welcome back. To those who have just arrived, welcome! I suggest reading the other stories first before proceeding any further (especially Heart of Iron and Heart of Steel). This story is a direct sequel to those two, so you'll need quite a bit of context to understand this one.
Speaking of the other stories, I updated their cover images on FFN so all three main stories of the "Mending Heart" series have cover images (smile for you doesn't count). Three guesses to what they each represent.
Warnings for this story will be updated accordingly. Notice that this has officially been upgraded to an M rating. There's going to be a lot of pain in this one.
Similar to Heart of Steel, I WILL end this story on a happy note. I WILL end this with happy Diakko. I break, but I also put back together. The road to happiness is long and arduous, but they'll get there.
Fun Fact:
Goetia's name is inspired by the Beast class Servant of the same name from Fate/Grand Order.
However, the concept of the Witch of Corruption is actually inspired by Alejandrina114, who is also the one to inspire much of this story. I wasn't going to write a sequel to Heart of Steel initially. But she gave me a few ideas I found I could work with and incorporate into the "Mending Heart" series. So I rolled with it.
